Can Jaw Pain Signal Heart Attack?

There are two types of jaw pain: primary and secondary The primary jaw pain refers to pain that is a result of a problem of the jaw area itself, while the secondary jaw pain refers to problems that are localized elsewhere in your system but pain is irradiating into the jaw. One of the most important things to keep in mind is that of you can’t tell exactly why your jaw area causes such much pain you should visit immediately a doctor for further investigation.

If you are constantly clenching and grinding your teeth at night, your jaw may ache all day long. You should definitely get a dental checkup, and then the dentist might offer you a custom night mouth guard that you can wear during nights so that your teeth will not touch anymore. Within up to one or two weeks, jaw pain will also disappear.

A tumor, gum related infections or an abscessed tooth an also cause discomfort and even great pain in the jaw. Again, it is important to visit the dentist and get a thorough checkup. Maybe a root canal treatment or an extraction of a badly abscessed tooth will solve your jaw pain problems.

Arthritis, a wisdom tooth that puts pressure onto the jawline, or malocclusion are also quite common causes for constant jaw pain. Arthritis is very closely linked with bone degeneration, and this will affect the bone density in your jaw as well. So when the bones become more fragile, pain and discomfort will set in.

Secondary causes of jaw pain: migraines, scurvy, heart attack
A heart attack is one of the most dangerous causes of great pain felt in the jaw area. The patient feels a constant, pressure like pain in the entire jawline, and this pain radiates towards the shoulder and the arms. Then facial nerve disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia can also cause debilitating pain in the jaw line.

Infections of the ear, or pressure in the sinus cavities and the ears can also lead to discomforting jaw pain. The most dangerous condition induced by the lack of Vitamin C in the body is scurvy. This disease can also greatly damage the jawline and cause a throbbing pain in the jaw.

Precautions & prevention
Even though you cannot really prevent arthritis for example, but many other problems can be reverted and/or treated in time to avoid the jaw pan:

-get regular dental checkups and X-rays to check on the condition of the jaw bone density and bones alignment
-avoid stress as much a possible as this may trigger clenching and grinding of the teeth
-perform a good dental hygiene to keep gum infection at bay
-avoid putting too much pressure on the jaw (constantly chewing gum, eating plenty crunchy foods, or using your teeth to open bottles and tear clothes tags)